Pictures From the State Fair

We hadn’t been to the North Carolina State Fair in a couple years. I’ve never been too enthusiastic about the state fair ever since a nightmarish ride on the swinging pirate ship at the fair back in my childhood, and the traffic had always seemed too much of a hassle. However, after looking at the list of new foods at the fair this year, we were tempted into making the trek over to Raleigh this afternoon.

You can read about our culinary experience at the fair on our food blog. In short, we enjoyed most of the things we tried. The major exception was the much-talked-about Krispy Kreme burger, which turned out to be a total FAIL not because of the sweet-and-savory combination of doughnuts and beef, but rather because the hamburger patty was a small, dry, and cold piece of junk. In any case, that little disappointment didn’t spoil our experience. We had a good time sampling the food, walking around the grounds, and petting the animals. We would have liked to have seen the pig races, just out of curiosity. But 10 minutes before each of the two race sessions that were held while we were at the fair, the small track was completely enveloped by people packed several layers deep and we couldn’t see a thing. Who knew pig racing would be such a popular pastime? A fair number of people were already waiting in the bleachers by the track when we walked past it an hour before the race, and by the size of the crowd five minutes before the race, you would think they were eating the loser afterward. So here’s a tip for fair goers: If you want to see pig racing, go early to secure a seat, or at least a line of sight.

Here are the pictures our afternoon and evening at the fair: